Orlik, Emil (1870-1932), Love Scene Under a Tree, 1912
Emil Orlik(1870 Prague - 1932 Berlin), Love Scene Under a Tree , 1912. Mixed media on paper, 14.5 cm x 25 cm (sheet size), 35.5 cm x 46 cm (frame), signed “ORLIK.” lower right and dated “[19]12.” Framed with passe-partout under glass.
- Image in very good condition, frame with minor scratches
- At the breast of Mother Nature -
A young woman with a pageboy haircut leans her back against a tree, which is thus associated with her, a connection that is further emphasized by the color of her dress, which matches the bark of the tree. At the same time, however, the tree also serves as a frame that highlights her, particularly accentuating her pink bare skin. She has half removed her transparent top, exposing her large breasts. They are kissed by the man lying between her bare legs, who is tenderly embraced by the smiling woman, while the branches, which also stand for her, enclose his entire body.
In this erotic subject, which is extremely rare in Emil Orlik's oeuvre, the artist lends the contemporary love scene an allegorical depth that is a homage to the feminine. The young woman becomes Mother Nature, approaching the man who has entered her sacred grove. Through his masterful use of brushstrokes, Emil Orlik succeeds in lending the scene an intense sense of vitality.
About the artist
Emil Orlik grew up in Prague and studied at Heinrich Knirr's painting school in Munich from 1889 to 1891 and then at the Munich Art Academy from 1891 to 1893. From 1894 to 1896, Orlik returned to Prague, where he did a year of military service and became friends with Reiner Maria Rilke, who inspired him to design books. In 1896 Orlik returned to Munich, where he developed an artistic friendship with Bernhard Pankok. The following year, Orlik opened a studio in Prague, which he ran until 1904. In 1898 he undertook a nearly year-long study trip to England, Scotland, Holland, Belgium and Paris. In 1904, Orlik became a teacher at the Vienna Museum of Decorative Arts. He had been a member of the Vienna Secession since 1899 and published in the Jugendstil magazine 'Ver Sacrum'. In 1905 he was appointed professor at the Berlin Museum of Decorative Arts, where he succeeded Otto Eckmann as head of the graphics class until Eckmann's death in 1932. George Grosz, Hanna Höch and Karl Hubbuch were among his students.
In 1900 Orlik made a year-long trip to Japan, which had a lasting influence on his art. In 1904 he published the portfolio "From Japan" and from 1905 to 1910 he illustrated the six-volume edition of the works of the English diplomat Lafcadio Hearn, who lived in Japan. In 1912 he made his second trip to Japan, which also took him to Egypt, Sudan, Ceylon, China, and Korea. His artistic impressions were reflected in the portfolios "Journey to Egypt" (1921) and "Journey to Japan" (1921). The late 1920s were also marked by numerous trips to America, France, Spain, Italy and Yugoslavia.
In addition to his artistic work as an interior designer, which included designs for costumes and stage sets for Max Reinhardt's Deutsches Theater, Orlik was primarily a graphic artist and sought-after portraitist. He painted portraits of Gerhard Hauptmann, Henrik Ibsen, Bernhard Pankok, Gustav Mahler, Max Klinger, Rainer Maria Rilke, Ernst Barlach, Lovis Corinth, Otto Dix, Käthe Kollwitz, Max Slevogt, Franz Werfel, Rudolf Steiner, Thomas Mann, Albert Einstein, Franz Marc and Alfred Döblin, among others. His virtuosity as a portraitist led Orlik to be hired as a portraitist for the Brest-Litovsk Peace Conference, which resulted in the portfolio "Caricatures from Brest-Litovsk" (1918).